A mail merge is the process of

A mail merge is the process of combining a standard document, such as a letter or an envelope, with a list of data, such as names and addresses, to create multiple personalized documents. This process is often used in business and marketing to send targeted and personalized communications to a large number of people.

In a mail merge, the standard document is called the "main document," and the list of data is called the "data source." The data source is typically a spreadsheet or a database that contains the information to be used in the merge, such as names, addresses, and other relevant details.

The mail merge process involves the following steps:

  1. Creating the main document: The main document is the standard document that will be used as the basis for the merged documents. This document typically contains placeholders for the data that will be inserted from the data source.
  2. Creating the data source: The data source is the list of data that will be used to populate the main document. This data can come from a variety of sources, such as a spreadsheet, a database, or a file.
  3. Setting up the mail merge: The mail merge is set up by specifying the main document and the data source, and by defining the fields that will be used to populate the document.
  4. Merging the documents: The mail merge process involves combining the main document with the data source to create a new document for each record in the data source. The placeholders in the main document are replaced with the actual data from the data source.
  5. Saving the merged documents: The merged documents are saved as separate files, each with its own unique data.

Mail merge is commonly used for tasks such as:

Mail merge can be performed using a variety of software applications, including word processing programs like Microsoft Word, email clients like Microsoft Outlook, and specialized mail merge software like Mail Merge Pro.